Chuseok Holiday Gyeongbu Expressway Bus-Only Lane Enforcement Extended Until '1 AM'

Enforcement from 18th to 23rd, Extended Crackdown Hours and Intensive Enforcement

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 10th that it will extend the enforcement hours of the bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway under Seoul's jurisdiction, from the south end of Hannam Bridge Banpo IC to Yangjae IC, from 7 a.m. to 1 a.m. the next day during the Chuseok holiday period to ensure smooth bus traffic and alleviate traffic congestion.

The enforcement hours for the bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway are usually from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays, but during the Chuseok holiday period, they will be extended from 7 a.m. on the day before the holiday starts, the 18th, until 1 a.m. on the day after the holiday, the 23rd.

Accordingly, fines will be imposed for violations of the bus-only lane on the Gyeongbu Expressway, and multiple fines may be imposed depending on the number of times violations are detected by enforcement cameras. According to the Road Traffic Act, vehicles allowed to use the expressway bus-only lane must be vehicles with nine or more seats and can only use the lane when there are six or more actual passengers. The fines for violations are 50,000 KRW for passenger cars and 60,000 KRW for vans, and multiple fines may be imposed depending on the number of times violations are detected by enforcement cameras.

Going forward, Seoul City plans to promote the extended operation through expressway electronic signboards and standing signs to prevent wrong entries and provide prior notice. Among the enforcement cases, many involved confusion about the operating hours of different types of exclusive lanes, as well as cases where drivers accidentally entered the lane but could not exit due to traffic congestion and were caught by enforcement.

Oh Jong-beom, Director of the Seoul City Traffic Guidance Division, said, “Since traffic volume on expressways increases during the holiday season, drivers’ compliance awareness is essential for safe driving and smooth traffic flow. We ask drivers to be careful not to be fined for simple wrong entries and request active participation from citizens to create a safe homecoming and return journey.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.